The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Aspects of the present invention relate to a sunshade assembly comprising a sunscreen having upper and lower sides, opposed longitudinal edges, and opposed transversal edges, the longitudinal edges being provided with guide strips which are substantially rigid in transverse direction, and opposed longitudinal guiderails, each including a guide channel section defining a guide channel in which the respective guide strip is accommodated when the sunscreen is moved between open and closed positions, the guide channel of each guide rail being bound on the side facing the opposite guide-rail by a guide flange supporting the lower side of the sunscreen, wherein a part of the guide channel supports the guide strip on its side remote from the sunscreen.
In the prior art various arrangements have been proposed to compensate for tolerances in or dimensional variations of sunscreens, in order to keep them taut in transverse direction, which leads to an optimal esthetical presentation of the sunscreen. First of all, it was proposed to make the sunscreen partly or completely from elastic material, so that it has an internal spring function. However, such solution is not possible for heavy fabrics and it is difficult to control the quality. Furthermore it was proposed to allow the guide rails to exert a spring pressure on the sunscreen in laterally outward direction. This leads to a complex arrangement and an even pressure on the sunscreen is difficult to obtain, especially with guide rails curved slightly in longitudinal direction.